The book starts by diving deep into the mysterious underground network of mycelium, the foundation of the mushroom ecosystem. You'll learn how these tiny threads can break down dead plant matter and form partnerships with plants that will blow your mind! But the best part is yet to come, Stamets emphasizes the importance of preserving biodiversity and the relationship between the health of the mycological realm and the planet. He encourages readers to embrace the fungal kingdom and explore its many wonders. This is the kind of book I love: highly factual and practical and mixed with the spiritual content that sets the great writers apart from all the rest.“ But my curiosity still remains about why the supposed power of mycelium is not being utilized. The world is practically on fire right now and I have read elsewhere that we don’t use mushrooms because the restorative effects of mycelium after a forest fire are too slow. From what I’ve read mycelium germs (seeds?) can be planted after the restoration process has been completed and will help with keeping plants moist in draught and assist with pest control etc., but this isn’t utilized either. I forgot I was on a waiting list for almost a year to receive this one from the library, unfortunately my interest in fungi and mushrooms has somewhat waned since reading a similar book last year.

One year ago I didn't know anything about mushrooms and now it's a topic I always want to know more about. Well-written, well-illustrated, and with many references for further reading, this is a book that takes readers way beyond the idea that mushrooms are merely useful as food. Introducing concepts of fungi as life-saving medicines, forestry protection (myco-forestry) and land reclamation (myco-remediation), it really gets you up out of your chair and experimenting at home or in your garden.I drink a lot of coffee. So that means a lot of coffee grounds accumulate in my compost, and a few months ago I looked at that and wondered if it could be used to grow mushrooms. I really want to continue learning about mushrooms (any book recommendations are welcome), hunting them, appreciating them, tasting them and following Paul's work closely.

I live in an area surrounded by the aftermath of Forestry Commission activities, locals appalled by the condition the land is left in and the knowledge that it is only fit to be harvested 1 possibly 2 more times before it's completely useless for everything other than a little sheep farming. Hardly the legacy you want to leave to the next generation!) This book is definitely more complicated to understand (I'll reread it several times and I'm pretty sure I'll continue to discover fascinating things with each reading).Although I do not agree 100% with some of his premises, his approach seems new and enriching to me. The first chapter almost made me quit reading, since the author is clearly a lunatic. However, we were slow enough at work that I was forced to give this another chance and the first half, excepting the intro, is quite fun to read. For anarchists and foresters alike. The second half is an encyclopeadic cookbook for "medicinal mushrooms" also quite skip-able. Stamets' detailed accounts of his own experiments and discoveries, and the broad possibilities these could create for the future of forestry, food and generally looking after the natural world. Mycelium Running is a manual for the mycological rescue of the planet. That’s right: growing more mushrooms may be the best thing we can do to save the environment, and in this groundbreaking text from mushroom expert Paul Stamets, you’ll find out how. Das Buch ist reich bebildert, und dazu geeignet, die gängigen Pilzarten zu bestimmen. Der Autor beschreibt eingehend die Möglichkeiten, Pilze in der Landwirtschft und im Gartenbau einzusetzen, um die Qualität des Bodens auf natürliche Art zu optimieren, oder das Wachstum von Pflanzen zu fördern, indem ihnen eine Verbindung mit Mycorrhiza ermöglicht wird. Das Buch ist leicht verständlich, unterhaltsam, enthält aber gleichzeitig eine Fülle von Informationen.

How valid some of these frustrations are definitely depend on the idea of where legitimate knowledge comes from. Does the only source of truth come from peer-reviewed journals and establishment sources, or are there equally valid forms of knowledge creation that run in parallel with the scientific establishment? Notwithstanding that it's not a simple binary, I found there was often not enough substance to validate some of Stamets' bolder claims, even though I think pretty much everything he's doing should be more heavily researched and tested (and I think in the years since first publication, there's been some vindication of his initial ideas and experiments). Various fun facts about gourmet, medicinal and toxic mushrooms. These were enjoyable, along with the anecdotes and studies behind these findings. I won't be attempting truffle or chanterelle cultivation anytime soon, but I appreciated the warning that our regular button mushrooms should be sourced responsibly, since they can take up dangerous levels of heavy metals depending on their origin.

I was fairly disappointed in this book, given the amount of hype that surrounds it in some circles. A couple specific gripes: muddling hypothesis and proven facts/theories, making huge, sweeping statements without footnotes or references - ie, this mushroom might cure cancer... sure, it might , so might dancing the tango, but how likely is it - when there are references, they are to the author's own work or to incredibly small science-fair-esque experiments. Further, I was put off by the whoo-whoo "Gaia hypothesis" language and underlying thesis.

Solid overview of fungi's ecological potential - from repairing deforestation to cleaning up toxic/radioactive waste to even fighting insect pests, this was probably my favorite part of the book. These are important and timely findings, and should be more popular than they currently are.Mycoforestry and mycogardening: the use of mycelium for companion cultivation for the benefit and protection of plants. However! If I someday have a home in a mountain forest (as I often fantasize), I would definitely try to cultivate multiple mushrooms in various contexts, mostly in food production and soil improvement. Maybe some magic stuff, too?